Nov 15, 2010

Picturesque, but not hard for me to leave

Saturday was an absolutely beautiful day, and Grayson had planned to take the big boys camping at Oak Mountain. At the last minute, Nicholas -- having discovered that swimming wasn't on the agenda because it was too chilly -- opted out. But we took two cars out there with plans for us to hang out with Grayson and Nathaniel for a while and then head home for the evening.

Grayson reserved the same camp site they'd used in April, which has a gorgeous view of the lake:

Just outside the boundaries of the site proper, there's a large tree trunk that's perfect for practicing your balance beam skills.

Nathaniel and Nicholas navigated it like it was a sidewalk.

I asked them to sit on it for a quick picture and Nathaniel said, "Do we HAVE to? You take like 12 pictures of us EVERY DAY." Really? Twelve? HOW DARE I?

They didn't protest as much when I asked them to jump OFF the log.

This particular camp site is on a cul-de-sac, so it's a prime spot for safe bike-riding. The boys all took full advantage of it.

After they tired of riding, Grayson suggested a quick walk down the path to the lake.

We passed a family fishing on the opposite bank on our way to the "beach."

It truly was a beautiful day, and the leaves are all in full blush this time of year ... the view along the shoreline was stunning.

I forced myself to take a picture of the boys playing on the beach. But it was hard. I AM NOT A FAN. In the Spring and Summer, this spot is fine ... they wear Crocs and swimsuits down there and they have a blast in the water.

Their clear instructions were to stay OUT of the water, not to throw sand, and not to get their pants wet. None of them obeyed rules number one or two, and Nicholas openly defied rule number three. I thought I was going to go hoarse telling them to get out of the water so many times. Part of me tells myself we only have ourselves to blame, because we took them to a faux beach and turned them loose.

The other part of me wants to know how on Earth people get their kids to obey the first time every time. Or are those people an urban myth?

Great pictures. I hope the guys will have great memories of camping. I grew up in a camping family. It was great until my teenage years. My favorite camping memory with my dad was cooking breakfast on the coleman stove, skillet toast and the smell of coffee in the open air. Now... I'll take a motel over camping. Our wedding vows included "and never camping".

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